RWANDAN reggae-dancehall fusion artiste Vaga Vybz is over the moon, following his appearance on veteran Jamaican reggae artiste Denroy Morgan’s latest album.
Vaga Vybz, born Emmanuel Nyarwaya, is one among five African reggae musicians that Morgan features on the album, titled, Denroy Morgan Feat. The Youths Of Africa: Missing You EP. He features on, Missing You, the title track.
The album was officially released on digital platforms by U.S.-based Record, Asaph Records, in April.
Known for such songs, like I’ll Do Anything For You, Never Give Up, Africa Is Calling and Happy Feeling, Denroy Morgan is the father of the award-winning family Reggae band, Morgan Heritage. The band staged their first performance in Rwanda in 2017, at the Rwanda Fiesta concert at the then Golden Tulip (now Hotel La Palisse), in Nyamata, Bugesera District.
Morgan recently rekindled his music career after a long hiatus, hitting the stage again with his backup band, the Black Eagles. In an unprecedented move, he travelled to several African countries in search of recording talent. He subsequently recorded songs with artistes like; Nyasha David (Zimbabwe), Latitude (South Africa), Q-Nel (Ghana), Bravoo (Kenya), and Vaga Vybz from Rwanda. His last album, Muzical Unity, was released in 2017.
By working with the five African artistes, Morgan seems to have come full circle. He scored his first major hit, I’ll Do Anything For You, in 1981, before dedicating his life to nurturing the talent of his children –Morgan Heritage.
"These young men are my sons of the outer circle, the children of the outer circle, my spirit family, and they are incredibly talented –and I have the blueprint to introduce them to the world,” Morgan told the Jamaica Observer Newspaper in March.
He added: "God is showing me a balance. I am an African born in Jamaica, who spent a portion of my life in the US. My children were born in the U.S., and spent their developing years in Jamaica. Now they are on a pioneering mission in Africa, they are the next generation of pioneers, and I am doing my part to unearth talent in Africa and to bring their music to the word.”
Similarly, Vaga Vybz shared his experience working with Denroy Morgan: "It’s been a long journey with this gentleman. We had been friends for sometime online, although music wasn’t really the main issue then, but things like mentorship, understanding Rastafari, growth in spirituality, and sharing the knowledge and wisdom he has learnt over the years. After that we were able to get on this project.”
New album…
Missing You, Vaga Vybz’s collabo with Denroy Morgan is one of the singles off the former’s latest studio album, African Town.
"I started working on the album last year, after the Hakuna Matata album. There was a small period of resting, then after that, around September I, was back in studio to work on it,” Vaga Vybz said.
The album has 15 singles, five of which are collaborations. Songs on the album include; Mugituza, Sema, Senorita, Oh Mi Love, Ni Wowe and Ruff Road featuring Spaxx, among others.
Denroy Morgan.
The reggae-dancehall album was put together by a team of five music producers from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Jamaica.
About the album title, African Town, Vaga Vybz noted that:
"All these songs, I got to compose and record them from different African towns. It was more like a tour, such that if I composed a song in Kenya I would go and record it in Uganda and vice versa …for me it was that feeling of being at home in any African town, be it in Ghana, or Malawi. It’s the same vibe as that at home because we’re just all the same.”
editor@newtimesrwanda.com